Old hi-fi gear

[Anastasius]

I still have a Revox 736 from 1966 but it hasn't been used for at least 20 years, now I'm inspired to switch it on and see if it still plays. Also the Ferrograph de-fluxer for the heads as well as the usual collection old tapes inc a couple that I always prized - Bernstein/LSO in Sibelius 5 from the Edinburgh Festival and several off-air Bayreuth recordings under Bohm.

Gosh…that brings back memories as I used to have both

[hmvman]

I have three reel-to-reel machines, including a Revox B77 which was serviced a couple of years ago. I don't use them much these days but occasionally get asked to transfer tapes to digital.

[pastoralguy]

The only one I've got is Stravinsky's Firebird with Colin Davis and the Concertgebouw, one of the very first CDs I bought in 1985. Not one of the elusive is it?

Alas, not Pet. I’m looking for a demonstration cd which doesn’t appear very often. Also, Mahler 8 conducted by Ozawa.

[HighlandDougie]

Alas, not Pet. I’m looking for a demonstration cd which doesn’t appear very often. Also, Mahler 8 conducted by Ozawa.

Should PG be feeling flush, there is a very expensive copy of the Mahler 8 currently on eBay - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/276799064...Bk9SR8DQpbK-Zg

[pastoralguy]

Should PG be feeling flush, there is a very expensive copy of the Mahler 8 currently on eBay - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/276799064...Bk9SR8DQpbK-Zg

Yes, I saw that, Dougie. If it wasn’t for the fact that I don’t like Mahler 8 that much I MIGHT be tempted, if only to complete my collection.

[Maclintick]

I daresay I'm not the only one to retain an affection for old 'hi-fi' equipment which gave me so much musical enjoyment but I wonder how much of what was once revered remains in use. I'm thinking of huge Tannoy loudspeakers like the GRF, Lowther TPI's and Audiovectors, sand-baffled Wharfedales and going back even further Klipsch horns, Leak and Radford ampifiers, Decca ffss pickups and the EMI equivalent, all gone or are they still working their magic somewhere amongst Boarders. I still use a 40 year old SME pickup arm and a V15111 cartridge although I sold the Garrard 301 a few years back.

From FoR3 members responses you're obviously not alone, and the fact that there are companies such as Audiogold listing retro gear at premium prices, indicates nostalgia for outdated tech is as seductive as ever, though whether it performs as well as modern-day equivalents is doubtful. When I was a music-obsessed but penurious teenager the Leak Stereo 30, advertised in my Mum's copy of Gramophone with a photo of the company's founder Harold Leak proudly displaying his product, was aspirational to the extent that an unconscionable sacrifice of pocket money over many months would have to be made in order to acquire one. I didn't, buying more LPs and a cheapo Eagle amp instead. Trade-offs.

Old or "vintage" gear still in use here include a pair of Chartwell LS3/5As bought in 1978, Rogers Studio1A monitors, Quad 306, Pioneer PL516 and Tascam reel-to-reel acquired in the late 80s, all now working perfectly after languishing in sealed boxes for 25 years, and mostly resurrected with minimal outlay ( £20 for a new belt for the Tascam 32, for instance, plus a deal of swabbing with isopropyl alcohol in the innards to remove the tarry residue into which the original belt had decomposed -- not labour for the faint-hearted...)

[duncan]

...

I also have some even older Quad II valve amps in need of refurbishment - one of those things that I haven't got around to getting done, and a Garrard 301 turntable chassis lurking somewhere. I really should either get them up and running again or pass them on to someone who'll give them a good home!

Quad ESL 63 (1986) here with a Naim CDI (youngster from 1995) - a fabulous machine - on the front.

I've always really hankered after a Garrard 301 for a vinyl based system. Ideally with some big 1970s JBL or Tannoy speakers for that Tokyo jazz kisa sound. For the sake of the neighbours I'll settle for something slightly smaller until we move to the country!

[Keraulophone]

I was happily using a pair of updated Quad ESL 57 (my birth year) with an Icon Stereo 40 Mk3 KT88 valve amp from a Thorens 126 Mk IV + Dynavector DV20x2L, until Mrs K finally objected to the second pair of 'radiators' in the living room. Sadly, they now languish in store, replaced by the PMC Twenty24s that impressed at a Bristol HiFi Show around 2012. I'd love to listen to the 57s again; very directional, but such clarity from the ideal listening spot. Maybe if and when we move house...

[Frances_iom]

I still have and listen via my Quad ESL 57s - made me realise that I have owned them for well over 50 years - the quad amp no longer works (the power capacitors failed - replaced by an Arcam amp several years ago ) and the preamp thus of no use and the tuner also out of date

[Anastasius]

I still listen to my Spendor BC1’s